Liners protect the interior surfaces of pickup truck beds. They prevent or minimize scratching and denting of the truck bed and, thereby, help to maintain the appearance of the truck and increase the resale value of the truck. Liners typically cover the entire bed of the truck, with a separate section affixed to the interior surface of the tail gate. Bed liners are usually made from vacuum formed plastic which is molded to fit the contours of a truck bed. Most liners also have multiple corrugations found throughout the liner surface. The corrugations serve multiple purposes including serving as channels for water drainage, increasing structural strength, and providing an additional cushion between the liner and the truck bed. Examples of truck bed liners are seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,507 to Dresen et al., Japanese Patent No. 62-12478 (A) to Mitsuo, and Japanese Patent No. 2-127141(A) to Jungi.
While truck bed liners offer adequate protection to the truck bed itself, items stored in liners are free to slide around. During sudden stops, the items may be damaged or turned into projectiles that can cause injury. Over the years, attempts have been made to create dividers that compartmentalize truck beds. Items can then be stored in a compartmentalized section of the truck bed, thereby decreasing the risk of damage to items stored in the bed and injury to persons who might be hit by flying items. Prior art solutions have relied upon a separate divider unit inserted at a predetermined point in the bed. Examples are seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,434 to Bott, U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,506 to Payne, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,265,993 and 5,044,642, both to Wayne, U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,899 to Keys, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,875,730 and 5,456,514, both to Justice.
In addition to compartmentalizing bed liners to prevent unwanted sliding, it is also often desirable to cover items in a truck bed to protect them from the elements and to keep them from blowing away. Historically, covering has been accomplished through the use of tarps, or a separate box inserted into the truck bed. Both of these covering means require that the cover be carried separately. Also, tarps may also blow about if not properly secured and the box takes up valuable storage space.
There is a need, therefore, for a simple, economical means to create a covered storage compartment in a truck bed. The means should be fully integrated and not require the user to carry unnecessary pieces or use valuable storage space when the compartment is not needed.